We provide to end-users via DSL, cable modem, FTTH, and wireless. About
half
of subscribers probably have no clue how they're connected. So when they
call
in we either guess based on the town they're in check against their account
using our billing system or a separate customer database. But not all of us
who provide support have handy access to those systems.
So it would be nice I could tell a customer to reboot their broadband router
(that generally applies to our cable modem and wireless customers; DSL is
almost
100% PPPoA and so it's our router/DSL modem on the end) and say it with some
authority rather than have them open a command prompt and check their local
IP.
We do on-site installs for all our broadband customers, so the
'point-and-drool'
crowd could very likely be oblivious to the fact that they said 'yes' to a
broadband router 9 months ago. =)
Frank
-----Original Message-----
From: Valdis.Kletnieks at vt.edu [mailto:Valdis.Kletnieks at vt.edu]
Sent: Monday, July 16, 2007 10:01 AM
To: frnkblk at iname.com; UNIversity Security Operations Group
Cc: 'UNIversity Security Operations Group'
Subject: Re: [unisog] Identifying if node is a router or PC
On Sat, 14 Jul 2007 15:53:42 CDT, Frank Bulk said:
> Does anyone know of a program, or preferably, a Perl module, that would
> allow me to identify if a node is a computer or a broadband router?
What if it's a computer *and* a broadband router? What action do you plan
to
take at that point?
In general, if what you're feeding the customer is a DSL or cable-TV
connection,
they'll have *some* device that will have to physically do the connection.
Few consumer-class computers come with the RJ11 and backing hardware that
you
need for DSL, and similarly few have a place to plug in a coax. So
*whatever*
is at the other end of the cable *has* to be either a "router" (whatever box
was provided for that function, either by the provider or from
Walmart/OfficMax).
or you have somebody clever enough to get the cable actually plugged into
their PC (since that will involve installing a card and drivers, that rules
ot
a big chunk of the point-and-drool crowd).